Best burgers in the Bay Area from the 2018 Top 100...

1of8The Tavern Burger at Wayfare Tavern in S.F.Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

2of8The Tavern Burger at Wayfare Tavern in S.F.Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

3of8Acacia House, a restored 1907 farmhouse that includes Chris Cosentino's new restaurant and bar, marks the entrance to Las Alcobas in St. Helena, a new 68-room hotel and spa.Photo: Las Alcobas

4of8Guests in the dining room at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 10, 2016. Boulevard has been chosen for the Chronicle's Top 100 restaurants.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

5of8The bar at Nopa Restaurant.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, SFC

6of8Front sitting area at Zuni Cafe restaurant in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, March 29, 2017.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2017

7of8True Laurel in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, February 11, 2018.Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

8of8People have dinner on the street at Park Tavern in San Francisco, Calif., on March 22nd, 2017.Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

This is Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer’s Between Meals column. Here, he lists 11 burgers served in some of 2018’s Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, which include a ratings box, are written only after three or more visits and appear in the Sunday Food + Home section.

Hamburgers: I can’t think of another item, except maybe pizza, that shows up on more restaurant menus, and it hardly matters if the restaurant is high-end or low. In the Bay Area, you’ll find burgers at upscale Italian, French and Indian places along with downscale bars and many places in between.

Even at expensive restaurants like Spruce, where more than half the main courses are above $40, you’ll find a hamburger for $20. The hamburger is nearly always the least expensive main course, making it a great choice if you’re sampling a top restaurant but don’t want to pay top price.

Consider this the Great Burger Tour of some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.

Acacia House, Napa. Chris Cosentino, the hero of big flavors and offbeat cuts of meat, chose to feature the Impossible Burger — a vegan, plant-based patty that has the texture of meat and “bleeds” like the real thing — at his newest restaurant.

Boulevard, San Francisco. The hamburger is on the lunch menu and features American Wagyu beef ground with spices and placed on a house-made bun. Toppings include Wagon Wheel cheese, tomato, grilled onions and spicy bread and butter pickles.

Marlowe, San Francisco. My favorite hamburger going on five years has been Jennifer Puccio’s creation here. The beef is mixed with a little lamb to give the patty more depth and then layered on an Acme bun with caramelized onions, cheese, shredded lettuce, bacon and horseradish aioli.

Michael Bauer’s favorite? The Marlowe Burger at Marlowe in S.F., on an Acme bun with caramelized onions, cheese, lettuce, bacon and horseradish aioli.

Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

Nopa, San Francisco. The wood-grilled patty is stacked with pickled onions, little gem lettuces and cheddar cheese. Simple and perfect.

Joe’s Hamburger at Original Joe’s Westlake in Daly City.

Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

Original Joe’s Westlake, Daly City. They’ve been serving the same burger, here called a hamburger sandwich, for 80 years. The ground meat is mixed with chopped onions, then shaped to fit the toasted and buttered Boudin Italian baguette. The meat is either cooked on a flat-top griddle or charbroiled over mesquite (my favorite).

Park Tavern, San Francisco. At this sister of Marlowe, you can get the same burger in North Beach, served in more impressive surroundings.

The Marlowe Burger at Park Tavern in S.F.

Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

Prospect, San Francisco. This restaurant, a sister to Boulevard, offers a hamburger on its lunch menu and anytime in the expansive bar. The beef patty is placed on a house-made bun with little gem lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and a special sauce.

Burger with a side of fries at Prospect in S.F.

Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

Rasa, Burlingame. One of the most popular dishes on this upscale Burlingame restaurant is the Bombay Sliders: spiced potato patties sandwiched between buns similar to Parker House rolls. The patties have a crispy exterior and are topped with caramelized onions, tamarind chutney and a side of ghee and gunpowder spices that diners mix together to add richness and fire to the blend. Maybe not a traditional beef burger, but a terrific Indian interpretation.

True Laurel, San Francisco. This fanciful upscale bar owned by David Barzelay of Lazy Bear features an open-faced patty melt. The pain de mie bread is griddled on rendered beef fat and then serves as a base for the beef ground from retired dairy cows, which gives a richer boost of flavor. Then come the caramelized onions, cheese and pickles.

Bombay Sliders at Rasa in Burlingame.

Photo: John Storey / Special to The Chronicle

Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco. At Tyler Florence’s restaurant, the Tavern Burger is made with a proprietary blend of meat that’s seared crisp and layered with Marin brie cheese, roasted onions, bacon and aioli.

Zuni Café, San Francisco. This was the city’s original “white tablecloth” burger. The meat is first marinated in salt and ground fresh several times a day. It’s served with pickled onions and aioli on rosemary focaccia bread. It’s available at lunch until dinner.

Michael Bauer has been following the food and wine scene at the San Francisco Chronicle for more than 28 years. Before working at The Chronicle, he was a reporter and editor at the Kansas City Star and the Dallas Times Herald.